Vatican City is a travel destination in Southern Europe. Its capital is Vatican City. May and April are its two best months to visit, ranked on 1991–2020 climate averages.
Top places to visit in Vatican City
St. Peter's Basilica (landmark) — The world's largest church and the heart of Catholicism — Michelangelo's soaring dome, Bernini's baldachin, the tomb of St Peter, and Pietà sculpture draw millions of pilgrims and art lovers each year.
Vatican Museums (landmark) — One of the world's greatest museum complexes — 54 galleries containing the Laocoön Group, Raphael Rooms, Gallery of Maps, and culminating in the breathtaking Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's ceiling.
Sistine Chapel (landmark) — Michelangelo's masterpiece ceiling (1508–12) depicting the Creation of Adam and the Biblical narrative from Genesis — the world's most studied fresco cycle and the site of papal conclaves.
St. Peter's Square (landmark) — Bernini's elliptical colonnade embracing the faithful — 284 columns, 88 pilasters, 140 saints atop the colonnades, and the 4,000-year-old Egyptian obelisk at the centre; the stage for papal audiences.
Vatican Necropolis (Scavi) (landmark) — Ancient Roman cemetery directly beneath St Peter's Basilica — excavations revealed what scholars believe is the tomb of St Peter himself; access via small guided group only.
Vatican Gardens (natural) — Meticulously manicured 23-hectare park covering most of Vatican Hill — Renaissance and baroque fountains, grottoes, the Ethiopian College, and the medieval tower of St John; accessible by guided tour.
Raphael Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello) (landmark) — Four papal apartments painted by Raphael and his school — the School of Athens fresco in the Room of the Segnatura is one of the greatest images of the High Renaissance.
Pinacoteca Vaticana (landmark) — Vatican's picture gallery of 460 paintings — Caravaggio's Entombment of Christ, Leonardo da Vinci's unfinished St Jerome, and early altarpieces tracing seven centuries of Western painting.
Vatican Apostolic Library (landmark) — One of the oldest and most important libraries in the world — over 1.1 million books, 75,000 manuscripts, and 8,300 incunabula including illuminated medieval texts and Galileo's heresy trial records.
St. Peter's Dome (Cupola) (landmark) — Michelangelo's 136 m dome offering a unique elevated view over the Vatican and Rome — 551 steps (or lift halfway) to the drum and lantern; extraordinary panorama over Castel Sant'Angelo and the Tiber.